


Will Father Hear About This?

by entirely_too_tall



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Gen, THE boggart, This will be angsty, a boggart - Freeform, draco tries to face his fears
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-27
Updated: 2018-04-27
Packaged: 2019-04-28 12:47:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,109
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14449590
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/entirely_too_tall/pseuds/entirely_too_tall
Summary: “Good evening, professor. May I have a word with you?” Draco Malfoy had impeccable manners when it pleased him to use them. “I don’t mean to lecture you, professor, but you must surely have been aware of the dangers of bringing a live Boggart to class.”That was not the line Remus expected.





	Will Father Hear About This?

**Author's Note:**

> Remember that [tumblr post](https://i.redd.it/35d7vgbecmiy.png) where Lucius is Draco's boggart? Yeah, I'm here to make y'all cry.
> 
> I'm working off memory here, since my copy of PoA is at my parents' home. I'll also be assuming the class ended right after Remus stepped in to save Harry from Dementor-Boggart, and Neville never got round 2 with Snape-Boggart.
> 
> The Harry Potter Wizarding World and its characters belong to JK Rowling and associate copyright holders, of which I am not one. I am only expanding upon it for our collective non-commercial pleasure at the grace of Ms Rowling.

A knocking on the door pulled Remus out of his grading. 

The students had been terribly behind in their DADA education, due to the constant rotation of professors that always failed the students for the past three decades or so now. It had been like that since when he was a student himself, and he wondered at how anyone managed to pass their exams. He had put the Fifth Years on a crash course to hopefully pass their OWLs. By the looks of it, maybe a third can scrape by Acceptable. It was disastrous. 

A second, more insistent knocking jolted Remus up, and he scrambled towards the door, sheepish that he drifted off. Being back in Hogwarts had made him feel, not exactly safe or comfortable, not necessarily nostalgic either, but it felt like coming home. It was the only place he was welcomed as a child, and perhaps the residual memory leaked into his present emotions.

He did not know what he was expecting when he swung the door open, but not a shock of blond hair and a practiced blank face was looking up at him. 

“Good evening, professor. I hope I’m not interrupting your work. May I have a word with you?”

Draco Malfoy had impeccable manners when it pleased him to use them, much like Lucius did. It was interesting to discover that Draco and Harry had developed an antagonistic relationship, puffing themselves up for their respective friends when put in proximity. Still, they behaved in his class, and he was thankful for that.

“Come in, Draco. I can spare you some time.”

He returned to his chair, followed by some soft footsteps and a “Thank you, professor.” behind him. 

Draco sat down and kept his posture perfect, looking all the more like Lucius about to strike a bargain. 

_“It would please many if you could try to keep Sirius Black from acting on his more destructive tendencies. Meanwhile, perhaps I may provide suggestions to keep your ailment obscure?”_

Remus wondered if Lucius had told Draco as well, and wondered if he should feel panicked about being blackmailed by a teenager, or worried of teenagers offering deals. A lifetime of practice kept his face measured.

“So, what is on your mind?”

“I don’t mean to lecture you, professor,” Draco began, keeping eye contact level, “but you must surely have been aware of the dangers of bringing a live Boggart to class.”

That was not the line Remus expected. Nevertheless, he kept his smile up. Draco wanted something, and was trying to shake him up first.

“Indeed, Boggarts are dangerous, especially when faced alone. With more people present, someone can step in to distract it and force it to change forms, as you’ve seen me do today. Are you worried for the safety of your classmates?”

“Yes, quite. If a Boggart obtains the powers of the form it takes, and the form it takes is something extremely difficult to handle, like a Dementor, or troll, or dragon, that would endanger everyone present.” Lucius would have smirked, but Draco remained dispassionate. Not intending to lecture indeed, which was surprising. Actually worried about his classmates, so he took after Narcissa. But there was still something else he wanted.

"I'm glad to see you so concerned. Yes, those scenarios would be difficult to handle, especially if no one else is brave enough to step forward to take over. I suppose I should have mentioned the other solution I thought obvious: running away. I will make sure to mention that next class, thank you for pointing out the flaws in my teaching." Remus said, watching Draco carefully.

"Running away?" Draco repeated, with what could be confusion or judgement, Remus did not know. For all the fight he put up in front of his peers, he masked himself very skillfully.

"Yes, running away. There is no shame to avoiding what you fear," Remus said kindly, remembering that Draco had put on a show to avoid confronting the Boggart. "Though your companions may not appreciate you running behind them and forcing _them_ to face _their_ fears," Remus added with a chuckle.

"Those are hardly different, professor."

"Those who care for you will not judge you, even if your actions may not please them exactly."

Draco broke his gaze at that, and took a long pause before reassembling himself. "We do not have the luxury of living in a world where we are unaffected by the judgement of those who would want to do so. I'm sure you would agree, professor." His eyes had returned to Remus' again.

Remus grimaced internally. He'd been caught. Nonetheless, he drew on his years of practice to keep his face neutral. He knew how to play the game, to draw on meanings between words spoken and construct plausible deniability. 

"As long as we have people who love us, who will support us unconditionally, the rest do not matter much." Remus said, feeling clichéd. Not his best line, but his maneuvers were limited until he knew what Draco wanted.

“And how do we find them? And how do we know we’ve found them? Whether they are what they say?” Draco’s mask was falling, he was becoming more affected, but only subtly so, in the widening of his eyes, the raising of his chin. 

“After all, James Potter trusted Sirius Black.” Just when Remus thought he had a breakthrough into Draco, he was issued a challenge. Should he use the inroad to find out what Draco wanted? Should he defend his fallen friend? Which friend? 

Remus took a breath. Draco was a child still, and children do not deserve to play such games at such young ages. 

“To let ourselves be loved is a frightful thing. We lay ourselves bare, at the mercy of our lover, our life in their hands. It is easy for them to ruin us. Many have. And yes, my friends paid the ultimate price. But to live without love, to pull ourselves away and hide under thorns, is no way to live at all.” 

Draco shifted under Remus’ gaze, beginning to break.

“I speak from experience, Draco. Before James, and even Sirius, I lived without meaning. They gave me reason to smile, not even from their antics or pranks, but just the sheer joy of being my friend. They wanted me to be happy, so I strove to be. It is easier to do it for them than for me.”

“And now?” Draco’s voice had softened.

“I still think of them. It pains me to remember them gone, but I make the most for myself even when it feels hard. Because that’s what they would have wanted.”

Draco stayed silent after that, and Remus let him sit for a while. He was sure that he had derailed Draco’s plans, so he was waiting for Draco to formulate his next move. Hopefully, Draco would be more open with his feelings, if not his motives.

Somewhere, the bells struck out a quarter to the hour. Draco spoke up after the sounds faded out, “I apologize for bringing up something that was painful to your past.”

An olive branch. Remus took it and offered his own in return.

“I appreciate your apology. I hope you have achieved what you came to talk about.”

A smirk. Ah, he had Draco now.

“No, professor. I was going to ask if I could face the Boggart alone.” 

Interesting. Draco, only so young, was clearly driven, having the courage to attempt to face his fears, and devising ways to minimize embarrassment should he fail by going at it alone. 

Nobody should feel like they need to face their fears alone.

“That will not be acceptable. I cannot let you face a dangerous creature by yourself.”

Draco’s face hardened at that, but Remus held up a hand. 

“How about this: we go into the classroom and I stand behind you when you face the Boggart. If you do not wish me to see what your fear is, I can simply stand facing away, but you must promise me to step back behind me if you feel overwhelmed so that I can take over.”

Draco considered the proposal for a moment, and nodded.

“Alright. Shall we go now?”

Remus shrugged. “I don’t see why not.”

They made their way to the DADA classroom, walking together in silence. Draco walked just like Lucius, too. Like he was going to own the world some day. Curious how he and Harry both ended up so like their fathers.

Standing side by side, facing the wardrobe, Remus went over the rules again, and then asked if there were any additional concerns. Draco took a deep breath and did not look at Remus when he asked.

“Can Boggarts cast spells?”

It’s a person.

“No.”

No exhale.

“Can Boggarts speak?”

It’s someone Draco knows.

“No.”

Exhale.

“Remember, step back if you need to. I’m here for you,” Remus reminded again.

Another smirk. “A glowing orb would be a very harmless Boggart, I concede.”

Remus smiled, actually glad that Draco was relaxed enough to attempt blackmail. It was somewhat endearing.

“Did Lucius tell you?”

Draco snorted and rolled his eyes, showing his age for the first time this evening.

“Anyone who paid any attention to their astronomy homework would have figured it out by now, especially after class today.”

“I’m sure Hermione already has.” Remus couldn’t help himself from needling. From the office gossip, Draco sounded like he was competing against Hermione, especially in grades, and Remus wanted to test that theory. He also had a wager against Professor Flitwick to settle.

“I’m sure _Granger_ already has.” Draco huffed, and Remus had the decency to hold back his chuckles.

“So long as I continue to take the Wolfsbane Potion accordingly, there should be no problems.” 

Draco turned to look at him. “There’s going to be a problem. There always is.” He sounded regretful. 

“I know.” Remus knew that coming in. He made the choice anyway, just to see Harry. He would have made the same choice a thousand lives over.

A few beats passed, and finally Draco turned to face the wardrobe, pulling himself up to face the challenge he set for himself. “I’m ready now.”

Remus turned around and clapped his hand onto Draco’s left shoulder, driving all the encouragement and support he could drum up into that gesture, and then let go.

“ _Alohamora_.”

The lock on the wardrobe unclicked, and Remus could hear the door swing open. A foot stepped out and landed on the floor, followed by another. And then nothing.

Draco didn’t move, didn’t budge. He was watching, quietly, as if stunned. He wasn’t breathing.

“Breathe, Draco. Remember, picture the creature in a funny situation.”

Draco did not seem to register any words said to him. Remus turned slightly, only enough to catch Draco in the corner of his eye. Draco still had his wand up, gripped so tight his hand was shaking. His lips were trembling, his eyes beginning to red. 

The Boggart had not moved, nor made any movement that Remus could have heard. Whoever it was that Draco feared, they were apparently very capable of striking fear without moving much at all.

“Imagine your loved ones. Draco, imagine your loved ones.” 

At that, however, Draco let out a gasp and clutched his hands to his hair, breaking down into sobs.

Immediately, Remus whirled around and stepped in front, catching a glimpse of none other than Lucius sneering off to the side, his wand-cane pointed straight at Draco but his disdainful gaze pointed nowhere near him. It was only visible for a split second before transforming into a full moon once Remus stepped close, but it was enough. He understood now.

He levitated the wardrobe to recapture the Boggart within it and locked it up, recognizing the dry irony that Draco was correct. A glowing orb was supremely easy to handle.

Once he had secured the Boggart away, he hurried to gather Draco in his arms and pulled him into the tightest hug he could afford. Draco had not stopped sobbing, and had fallen to sitting on the floor, but Remus could not care less for the strain that the difficult crouch put on him. He held Draco and would hold him for as long as he needed to.

Only after a long while, uncountable minutes, horrid turbulent minutes, did Draco calm down enough to look up into Remus’ face that was straining for a reassuring smile.

“Will father hear about this?” He whispered.

It broke Remus’ heart, to hear that. “No, Draco.” What a poor child, so young. “Remember, I’m here for you.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading. Come find me on [tumblr](http://ohjustletmewriteinpeace.tumblr.com/).


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